Äuä
Encyclopedia
Äuä is a typical shibboleth
of Bernese German
.
, connoting that the speaker is only assuming what he is telling, but still quite certain about it. This is very similar to the meaning of the German modal particle wohl.
Example:
The modal particle is also used in the following sequences of modal particles: äuä scho, äuä de scho. Both sequences give more emphasis to the certainty of the speaker.
(similar to English
words like yes or no).
Originally, it was used as an affirmative response with similar connotations to the modal particle. However, this meaning is hardly ever used any more. It is almost exclusively used to give a negative answer connotating subjective disbelief. This meaning has developed from an ironic
use.
Depending on the intonation, the meaning can vary from very strong disbelief to surprised slight disbelief.
Examples:
Shibboleth
A shibboleth is a custom, principle, or belief distinguishing a particular class or group of people, especially a long-standing one regarded as outmoded or no longer important...
of Bernese German
Bernese German
Bernese German is the dialect of High Alemannic German spoken in the Swiss plateau part of the canton of Bern and in some neighbouring regions.- Varieties :There is a lot of regional variation within Bernese German dialects...
.
Modal particle
Within a declarative sentence, this word can be used as a German modal particleGerman modal particle
In the German language, a modal particle is an uninflected word used mainly in spontaneous spoken language in colloquial registers. These words have a dual function: reflecting the mood or attitude of the speaker or narrator, and highlighting the sentence focus.The effect that a flavoring...
, connoting that the speaker is only assuming what he is telling, but still quite certain about it. This is very similar to the meaning of the German modal particle wohl.
Example:
- Si chunt äuä gly.
- ‘(I'm quite certain that) she is going to come soon.’
The modal particle is also used in the following sequences of modal particles: äuä scho, äuä de scho. Both sequences give more emphasis to the certainty of the speaker.
Pro-sentence
Like many German modal particles, this word can also be used as a pro-sentencePro-sentence
A pro-sentence is a function word or expression that substitutes for a whole sentence whose content is recoverable from the context. Pro-sentences are a kind of pro-forms and are therefore anaphoric....
(similar to English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
words like yes or no).
Originally, it was used as an affirmative response with similar connotations to the modal particle. However, this meaning is hardly ever used any more. It is almost exclusively used to give a negative answer connotating subjective disbelief. This meaning has developed from an ironic
Irony
Irony is a rhetorical device, literary technique, or situation in which there is a sharp incongruity or discordance that goes beyond the simple and evident intention of words or actions...
use.
Depending on the intonation, the meaning can vary from very strong disbelief to surprised slight disbelief.
Examples:
- Edmund HillaryEdmund HillarySir Edmund Percival Hillary, KG, ONZ, KBE , was a New Zealand mountaineer, explorer and philanthropist. On 29 May 1953 at the age of 33, he and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers known to have reached the summit of Mount Everest – see Timeline of climbing Mount Everest...
isch als erschte ohni Suurstoff-Fläsche ufe Mount EverestMount EverestMount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
. ― Äuä! Der Reinhold MessnerReinhold MessnerReinhold Messner is an Italian mountaineer and explorer from Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol "whose astonishing feats on Everest and on peaks throughout the world have earned him the status of the greatest climber in history." He is renowned for making the first solo ascent of Mount Everest without...
isch der erscht gsy wo das het gmacht.
- ‘Edmund Hillary was the first to climb Mount Everest without auxiliary oxygen. ― No way! Reinhold Messner was the first to do that.
- Hesch ghört? AC/DCAC/DCAC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
hei sech ufglöst! ― Äuä!?
- ‘Did you hear? AC/DC split up! ― No, really?
Trivia
Bernese comedian Massimo Rocchi used äuä as the title for one of his shows, which derives much of its comical effect from the bewilderment an outsider experiences (in this case, Italian-born Rocchi) when first confronted with the idiosyncrasies of Bernese German.Sources
- Otto von Greyerz, Ruth Bietenhard: Berndeutsches Wörterbuch ISBN 3-305-00255-7